What are pavement stencils?

Pavement stencils are used to create patterns on concrete sidewalks and other concrete surfaces. These patterns may be embossed, painted on or created by the application of a paint powder.

Paint stencils may be made from plastic or paper. The plastic stencils are reusable and more likely to be used to emboss patterns into wet concrete. The stencils are pressed into place and a dry paint powder sprinkled on top to add color to the exposed concrete.

Paper stencils are usually self-adhesive and stick to a hard concrete surface with a firm pressure. These stencils are used for applying wet paint to pavement. They are useful for walls too. However, paper stencils are not reusable.